[Pollinator] Like bees of the sea, crustaceans ‘pollinate’ seaweed

[Krupnick, Gary]

Is it time to add crustaceans to the list of known pollinators?

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/crustaceans-pollinate-seaweed-fertilization-algae

When it comes to reproduction, one type of red algae gets by with a little help from its friends: small sea crustaceans that transport sex cells between male and female algae, like pollen-laden bees buzzing between flowers.

The discovery is the first known example of animal-driven “pollination” in algae, researchers report in the July 29 Science. Both the red algae and crustaceans belong to far more ancient groups than land plants do, raising the possibility that a form of pollination first evolved in the ocean, hundreds of millions earlier than originally thought.




Gary Krupnick, Ph.D. (he/him/his)

Head of the Plant Conservation Unit

Department of Botany

w 202.633.0940  krupnick at si.edu<mailto:krupnick at si.edu>



SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

Facebook<https://www.facebook.com/SmithsonianNMNH>  |  Twitter<https://twitter.com/NMNH>  |  Instagram<https://www.instagram.com/smithsoniannmnh/>  |  E-news<https://support.si.edu/site/SPageServer?pagename=nmnh_email_signup.html&s_src=web_nmnh_menu>

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20220729/f9ebfce8/attachment.htm>